For the
first time ever in Iran, Switzerland’s textile machinery manufacturers
exhibited in their own pavilion at the recent Irantex show, under the umbrella
of their representative body the Swiss Textile Machinery Association
(Swissmem). A total of 13 Swiss companies took part, reinforcing the impact of
their successful symposium in Tehran last year.
The
exhibition, held at the
Tehran fairgrounds from September 4 to 7, attracted wide international
participation, and Switzerland’s special pavilion – its first for a decade –
helped its companies to make a strong impression on trade visitors. Business
contacts were enhanced, and the Swiss exhibitor group was able to report that
some notable project negotiations were finalised at the event.
“Feedback
was very positive,” said Cornelia Buchwalder, Secretary General of the Swiss
Textile Machinery Association. “Our companies valued their participation and
the quality of business contacts, and the exhibition provided an excellent
follow-up to our Iran symposium in 2016.”
Swiss firms
exhibiting were: Jakob
Müller, Benninger, Willy Grob, G. Hunziker, Stäubli, Norsel, Retech, Heberlein,
SSM, Luwa, Steiger Participations, Saurer, and Drop Chemicals.
A highlight
was the visit of Switzerland’s ambassador to Iran, Mr Markus Leitner, to the pavilion. He met with
the Swiss exhibitors and discussed the opportunities and challenges of doing
business with Iran.
The
reaction to the show from Benninger area sales director Peter Vormbruck typified the
enthusiasm of the Swiss exhibitors: “We found that customer
interest in high-quality and technology-driven machinery was very positive,” he
said. “There was even a strong desire to overcome the financial complexities to
enable the Iranian industry to take advantage of the imported products. We were
pleased to have some very open discussions on technology and opportunities in
this important market of Iran.”
Following
the ending of most international sanctions on Iran at the start of 2016, there
was a need to reintroduce and expand the financial and trade frameworks, to
allow the Iranian textile sector to upgrade its technology levels. The 2016
symposium provided guidance on this issue via experts in the field, and this
progress was continued at Irantex.
In this
context, consultant Verena
Utzinger attended the show to support both Swiss and Iranian partners. She
outlined the work of SERV, the Swiss Export Credit Insurance organisation,
which secures exports of Swiss companies against political and transfer risks,
as well as payment losses, and provides additional liquidity for specific
export deals.
She
commented: “SERV has many years of very positive experience with Iranian
buyers. At Irantex we were able to present the available services for
transactions between Swiss and Iranian companies, and facilitate talks about
the markets, politics and customs of Iran.”